1988 Edition

Climate

tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds

Coastline

121 km

Comparative area

about twice the size of Washington, D.C.

Environment

lies on edge of hurricane belt; hurricane season lasts from June to November

Extended economic zone

200 nm

Infant mortality rate

37/1,000 (1976-80)

Labor force

21,378; largely engaged in fishing, hunting, and sheep breeding

Land use

15% arable land; 26% permanent crops; 3% meadows and pastures; 9% forest and woodland; 47% other

Language

Danish, Eskimo dialects

Life expectancy

men 59.7, women 67.3

Literacy

99%

Religion

Evangelical Lutheran

Special notes

islands of the Grenadines group are divided politically with St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Terrain

volcanic in origin with central mountains

Territorial sea

12 nm

Total area

340 km2; land area: 340 km2

Ethnic divisions

mainly of black African descent

Infant mortality rate

16.7/1,000 (1985)

Labor force

36,000; 31% services, 24% agriculture, 8% construction, 5% manufacturing, 31% other; 35-40% unemployment (1985)

Language

English (official); some French patois

Life expectancy

69

Literacy

85%

Nationality

noun — Grenadian(s); adjective— Grenadian

Organized labor

80% of labor force

Population

84,748 (July 1987), average annual growth rate —0.49%

Religion

largely Roman Catholic; Anglican; other Protestant sects

Administrative divisions

3 counties, 18 communes

6 parishes

Branches

legislative authority rests jointly with the elected 25-seat Landsting and Danish parliament; executive power vested in Premier and four-person council; 19 lower courts

bicameral legislature (15-member elected House of Representatives and 13-member appointed Senate); executive is Cabinet led by the Prime Minister; judiciary consists of Grenada Supreme Court, composed of the High Court of Justice and two-tier Court of Appeals

Capital

Godthab (Nuuk)

St. George's

Communists

the New Jewel Movement (which is currently trying to revitalize) and the less hardline Maurice Bishop Patriotic Movement

Elections

held every four years; most recent, 6 June 1984

last general election held 3 December 1984 Political parties and leaders: New National Party (NNP) is ruling party and was formed in 1984 as a three-party centrist coalition — Grenada National Party (GNP), National Democratic Party (NDP), and Grenada Democratic Movement (GDM); currently the NDP, led by George Brizan, and the GDM, led by Francis Alexis, are not represented in the NNP; former Prime Minister Sir Eric Gairy revived his Grenada United Labor Party (GULP) in 1984; Grenada Democratic Labor Party (GDLP) was formed by Marcel Peters, who was elected as a GULP candidate but changed parties after assuming his seat in the House of Representatives; Democratic Labor Congress (DLC) was formed in 1986 by disaffected NNP member Kenny Lalsingh and Winston Whyte of Christian Democratic Labor Party (CDLP); the Maurice Bishop Patriotic Movement (MBPM) was formed in May 1984 and is composed of pro-Cuban Socialists; the New Jewel Movement (NJM) consists of supporters of Bernard Coard and other hardliners accused of killing Bishop in 1983; GDLP and DLC form the official opposition; Marcel Peters was recently replaced as leader of the parliamentary opposition by Phinsley St. Louis, leader of the newly formed Organization for National Equality (ONE)

Government leaders

MARGRETHE II, Queen (since January 1972); Jonathan MOTZFELDT, Prime Minister (since May 1979)

Sir Paul SCOON, Governor General (since 1978); Herbert BLAIZE, Prime Minister (since December 1984)

Legal system

Danish law; transformed from colony to province in 1953; limited home rule began in spring 1979

based on English common law

Member of

CARICOM, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, ITU, NAM, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO

National holiday

Independence Day, 7 February

Official name

Greenland

Grenada

Political parties

Siumut, 11 seats (moderate socialist, advocating more distinct Greenland identity and greater autonomy from Denmark); Atassut Party, 11 seats (more conservative, favors continuing close relations with Denmark); Inuit Ataqatigiit, 3 seats (Marxist-Leninist party favoring complete independence from Denmark rather than home rule)

Suffrage

universal, but not compulsory, over age 21

universal adult

Type

self-governing province of Kingdom of Denmark; two representatives in Danish parliament; separate Minister for Greenland in the Danish Cabinet (Ministry to be phased out during 1986-87)

independent state; recognizes Elizabeth II as Chief of State

Voting strength

(1984 election) NNP 59%, GULP 36%, MBPM 5%; parliamentary seats— NNP, 14; GDLP, 1

Agriculture

arable areas largely in hay; sheep grazing; garden produce

cocoa, nutmeg, mace, and bananas

Budget

revenues, $32 million; expenditures, $61 million (1984)

Electric power

84,000 kW capacity; 170 million kWh produced, 3,150 kWh per capita (1986)

11,380 kW capacity; 24 million kWh produced, 280 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$168.4 million (f.o.b., 1980); fish and fish products, metallic ores and concentrates

$22.1 million (f.o.b., 1985); cocoa beans, nutmeg, bananas, mace

Fiscal year

calendar year

calendar year

Fishing

catch 107,725 tons (1983); exports $108.6 million (1980)

GDP

$86.8 million (1984 est), $1,000 per capita; real growth rate 3.0% (1986 est.); average inflation rate 6.0% (1985 est.)

GNP

included in that of Denmark

Imports

$259.4 million (c.i.f., 1980); petroleum and petroleum products, machinery and transport equipment, food products

$62.6 million (f.o.b., 1985); food, machinery and transport equipment, oil, building materials

Major industries

mining, fishing, sealing

Major trade partners

(1980) Denmark 49.4%, Finland 9.5%, FRG 8.1%, US 6.3%, UK 2.9%

exports — 35% UK, 9% FRG, 6% Netherlands, 6% US, (1984 est.); imports— 20% UK, 17% US, 17% Trinidad and Tobago (1983)

Monetary conversion rate

7.37 Danish kroner=US$l (December 1986)

2.70 East Caribbean dollars=US$l (November 1986)

Natural resources

zinc, lead, iron ore, coal, molybdenum, cryolite, uranium, fish

Airfields

10 total, 7 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

3 total, 3 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways, 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Branches

Royal Grenada Police Force

Civil air

2 major transport aircraft

no major transport aircraft

Highways

80 km

1,000 km total; 600 km paved, 300 km otherwise improved; 100 km unimproved

Military manpower

included with Denmark Carriacou Caribbean «* Sea Jf V Caribbean Sea Sec rtjlonml imp III

Ports

1 major, 7 secondary, 9 minor

1 major (St. George's), 1 minor

Railroads

none

none

Telecommunications

adequate domestic and international service provided by cables and radio-relay; 17,900 telephones (31.0 per 100 popl.); 6 AM, 35 FM, 9 TV stations; 2 coaxial submarine cables; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite station Defense Forces Defense is responsibility of Denmark

automatic, islandwide telephone system with 5,650 telephones (5.1 per 100 popl.); new SHF links to Trinidad and Tobago and St. Vincent; VHP and UHF links to Trinidad and Carriacou; 1 AM and 1 TV stations Defense Forces